Members of Parliament in Uganda have rejected a government proposal to slash the country’s tourism budget by 55%, identifying the sector as a key contributor to foreign revenue and debt reduction.
In the Budget Framework Paper currently being scrutinised by parliament, government proposed a budget cut from UGX195 billion (US$53 million) in the 2022/2023 financial year to UGX89.29 billion ($24 million) in 2023/24.
If approved, the budget for the Uganda Tourism Board would reduce from UGX26.45 billion ($7.2 million) to just UGX4.3 billion ($1.2 million).
“This contradicts the government’s focus on promoting and marketing the country’s tourism to earn more foreign exchange and create jobs,” said Mwine Mpaka, Chairperson of the Committee on Tourism, Trade and Industry during the presentation of his committee report.
Mpaka added that whereas the Uganda Wildlife Authority had planned to collect UGX10 billion ($2.7 million) from tourism activities in the next financial year, a proposed budget cut from UGX21 billion ($5.7 million) to UGX8 billion ($2.1 million) would severely hinder this goal.
Committee member Dicksons Kateshumbwa also stressed the hope that government would in the next financial year focus on the construction of roads, extension of piped water and provision of Internet to national parks.
“The quality and reliability of Internet in parks is a problem. In Tanzania, they can do live streaming on Mt Kilimanjaro. They are talking of upgrading hotels, how are you going to upgrade a hotel when there is no water?” Kateshumbwa said.
MPs also recommended a more comprehensive marketing strategy for the sector, whose potential they said was still not sufficiently realised.
Parliament, backed by the Minister of Tourism, Martin Mugarra Bahinduka, has called on government to further explore methods of securing more funds for the sector in the next financial year.
